Asian Inspired Slow Cooker Short Ribs with Cabbage & Carrots
When I recently visited the library and sat down to flip through the latest Real Simple, I didn’t expect to be copying a recipe down before returning it to the shelf. I couldn’t resist this recipe’s simplicity and one pot meal potential. Let’s face it we all need more quick, easy meals from a slow cooker.
I changed up the original recipe a bit by halving the amount of meat and doubling the cabbage. I didn’t even notice that there was less meat. The cabbage melts down into the rich, savory broth and becomes almost buttery. The dish is rich and flavorful, but the bright bite of the scallions cuts right through all of this.
Sweet, sour and spicy – this dish is quite the palate pleaser. And because you can throw it together in the morning and have a full meal at the end of the day, it is a schedule-pleaser as well.
Slow Cooker Asian Short Ribs with Cabbage & Carrots
adapted from Real Simple magazine
Recipe Notes: This was perfect served alongside caulifried rice (cauliflower chopped until the size of rice and fried as rice). Of course if you are eating grains, brown rice or millet would be the perfect accompaniment.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce (~1/3 cup if using regular soy sauce)
- 2 T. honey or ~1/8 tsp. stevia
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 – 3 lbs. grass-fed beef short ribs (4-6 ribs)
- 5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2″ pieces
- 1 medium green cabbage (~2-3 lbs), cut into eighths
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
Directions
Optional step: In a large skillet, over medium heat brown the ribs on all sides.
In a 4-6 quart slow cooker, combine soy sauce, honey/stevia, vinegar, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes. Add the ribs (browned or not) and the carrots, arranging in a single layer if possible. Lay the cabbage on top of the ribs and carrots.
Cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low 7-8 hours. After a few hours of cooking, or 30 minutes before serving, stir the cabbage into the juices in order to distribute the flavor.
Before serving, taste for seasoning and add salt as necessary.
Remove the bones from the ribs and set aside to use for stock.
Serve with a small drizzle of sesame oil and sprinkle with scallions.
this post is a contribution to Fight Back Friday
Sounds good.
This looks so yummy — thank you. I love your recipes!
Oooh. Thrifty, tasty, and EASY.
This is my kind of recipe! Thanks for sharing.
Cheers,
KristenM
(AKA FoodRenegade)
Just discovered your blog not long ago! My husband would LOVE this dish. There aren’t many things that my whole family will eat, but I think this would pass:)
Yum! This looks fantastic! I’ve been looking for more slow cooker recipes that don’t include grains or “fillers” for low-carb cooking. Thanks!
Best,
Sarah
I made this for dinner tonight (I had to tweak a couple ingredients because we didn’t have a couple items) but it was delicious! My kids (3 and 1) loved it too! Thank you!
I was excited to try this, but I’m saddened to report that we were utterly disappointed. It was watery, insipid and dull. I only got some savoriness into it with the sesame oil at the very end, but it only tasted of sesame oil. Perhaps if the sauce was used to marinate overnight before turning all into the crockpot?
I’ve had similar problems with other Real Simple recipes, but had hopes for this one based on what I read here.
Shannon, I tried this recipe this weekend. We had family in town for my daughter’s ballet recital. I needed an easy dish that I could prepare and forget about.
This dish was great & pleased everyone. And we had an age span from 2 to 91 years!
Thanks so much for posting this.
I must admit I was dubious, but I made this today and it was delicious! This is a great idea for beef ribs; they can be almost too fatty but the fat combined with the large amount of cabbage was perfect. It was just enough to bring the dish together and give it a nice buttery feel. My 13 month old hasn’t eaten so voraciously in weeks!
I’m making this again today . . . mmm. . . can’t wait!
Best,
Sarah
This looks lovely. Would it be possible to cook it in the dutch oven instead? We just recently got rid of our slower cook because of the lead issue. Thanks!
Honeychka – I believe it should be fine. You might have to monitor the liquid level and stir as the bottom can become scorched otherwise. Let us know how it turns out!
Shannon – just tried this out tonight and it was a HUGE hit. The best part – my 2 1/2 and 1 year olds LOVED it. We live in Germany right now and I’m still getting my bearings so I wasn’t able to find rice wine vinegar at our little market – I subbed white wine vinegar instead and the flavor was still incredible. I wanted to drink the broth like soup! Thanks again for another great recipe.